Conventional load lock vacuum sputtering systems generally include a vacuum sputtering chamber and a load lock chamber. The vacuum sputtering chamber is where the actual sputtering process takes place. The load lock chamber is the area where the workpiece is transferred from atmospheric conditions to the vacuum sputtering chamber. Consequently, the load lock chamber is continuously exposed to vacuum and atmospheric pressures. The load lock chamber therefore must be properly sealed to maintain the desired vacuum pressure once sealed and to prevent gas at ambient pressure from leaking into the vacuum sputtering chamber.
Occasionally, debris accumulates on the load lock chamber seals causing the seals to leak, resulting in a pressure increase inside the load lock chamber. Minor leaks between the load lock and sputtering chamber are controlled through a double O-ring sealed area connected to a mechanical pump. However, this problem may become severe enough to cause a corresponding gas leak and an associated pressure increase in the mechanical pump line or the vacuum sputtering chamber. To correct the leakage problem, the debris must be removed from the seals. Conventional means to fix the leak, the vacuum sputtering chamber must be vented and exposed to atmospheric conditions.
If the vacuum sputtering chamber experiences a pressure increase, it may require venting and re-pressurization. This procedure entails a significant amount of machine downtime due to the time required to pump-down the vacuum sputtering chamber to the required operating pressure. A typical vacuum sputtering chamber may have a volume of approximately seven cubic feet and operate at about 5.0.times.10.sup.-7 Torr. It generally takes approximately eight to twenty-four hours to restore a vacuum sputtering chamber of this size to the desired operating conditions once the load lock chamber has been exposed to atmospheric pressure. A system for cleaning debris from load lock chamber seals is needed that would allow the cleaning process to take place under vacuum pressure, thus reducing the likelihood of having to vent the vacuum sputtering chamber except in the most extreme circumstances.